Bill S2677-2013

Directs department of agriculture and markets and the state soil and water conservation committee to define farm conservation practices conducted by professionals

Directs the department of agriculture and markets and the state soil and water conservation committee to review and define farm conservation practices which are within the professions of engineering, land surveying and architecture.

Memo

BILL NUMBER:S2677

TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the agriculture and markets law and the education law, in relation to farm conservation practices

PURPOSE: To clarify that the Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets and the NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee shall be the authorities that establish the need for technical expertise on farm environmental and conservation best management practices.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section 16 of the Agriculture and Markets Law is amended to give authority to the Commissioner of Agriculture & Markets, along with the NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee to review farm conservation practices and determine the technical expertise needed to implement such practices.

JUSTIFICATION: Across the state, farms are working on implementing environmental best management practices. These efforts protect our natural resources and increase farm environmental sustainability. The experts that assist farmers in implementing these programs are local soil and water districts. The state committee that oversees the districts has a longstanding history of working with farms and has a strong practical knowledge of the technical resources needed to implement specific projects. Rather than have engineers that are unfamiliar with farm-specific projects determine necessary resources, this bill more appropriately assigns the responsibility for such determination.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: A cost savings would be actualized with technical resources being more efficiently used and, thereby, more farm environmental Projects being accomplished with existing state funds.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Effective immediately.

Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2677
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2013
___________

Introduced by Sens. YOUNG, O'MARA, RANZENHOFER -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Agricul-
ture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law and the education law,
in relation to farm conservation practices
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 16 of the agriculture and markets law is amended by
adding a new subdivision 45 to read as follows:
45. DEFINE AND REVIEW ON AN ON-GOING BASIS FARM CONSERVATION PRACTICES
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STATE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE TO
DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF ENGINEERING, LAND SURVEYING OR ARCHITECTURE
NECESSARY FOR SUCH PRACTICES.
S 2. Paragraph b of subdivision 7 of section 7209 of the education
law, as added by chapter 987 of the laws of 1971, is amended to read as
follows:
b. To alterations to any building or structure costing ten thousand
dollars or less which do not involve changes affecting the structural
safety or public safety thereof nor to farm buildings, including barns,
sheds, poultry houses and other buildings used directly and solely for
agricultural purposes; NOR TO FARM CONSERVATION PRACTICES, EXCEPT AS
DETERMINED NECESSARY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS AND
THE STATE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION COMMITTEE; nor to residence build-
ings of gross floor area of fifteen hundred square feet or less, not
including garages, carports, porches, cellars, or uninhabitable base-
ments or attics.
S 3. Paragraph 1 of subdivision 5 of section 7307 of the education
law, as amended by chapter 994 of the laws of 1971, is amended to read
as follows:
1. Farm buildings, including barns, sheds, poultry houses and other
buildings used directly and solely for agricultural purposes; NOR TO

EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06905-01-3

S. 2677 2

FARM CONSERVATION PRACTICES, EXCEPT AS DETERMINED NECESSARY BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS AND THE STATE SOIL AND WATER
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE; nor to residence buildings of gross area of
fifteen hundred square feet or less, not including garages, carports,
porches, cellars, or uninhabitable basements or attics; or
S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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